How difficult is it to . . . . . ....

[Astra]

Weld in new rear arches on a MK2 Astra. It's the drivers side, so i'm a bit worried about the filler cap and such like, exploding in my face. I have access to the equipment, and a garage but i've never welded before in my life. I have been quoted varying amounts from bodyshops from £200 a side without spraying to £185 for both sides including spraying both rear quarters.

Should i do the bodyshop thing or try it myself?

Also, i have access to spray equipment and as my car is several different shades of mexico red(ish) i need to think about respraying. I've never sprayed with a gun and comp before but have used cans to varying degrees of success, so is it worth trying it myself (with the gun and comp) or should i go to a bodyshop? (which are few and far between in North London & bloody pricey)


Andy

[NickWebb]

when it was in the body shop i had new arches put on my car as well and i was only charged another £100 on top of the original cost

[djadam]

astra, if youve NEVER welded in your life then i can guarantee youll f*ck it up if you do it yourself. send it to the bodyshop or find a mate who can weld - preferable who welds for a living.

adam

[Dav1d]

Well, you could always try. Call it practising.
Go to a scrappy and get an old bonnet, pref bent 2 feck, as then they might not charge you for it.
Flatten it, remove the paint and the strengthening bars on the rear.
Practise running weld down it, till you can get it nice and smooth (ish).
Cut some of the bonnet up and try welding it to the bonnet, edge to edge, or slight overlap.
Practise, practise, practise.
Then you can do the spraying.
Have fun.

[Vectra Dave]

If you havent done it before, I would say leave it to the pro`s, but it is a good thing to learn so get some scrap steel and practice!
Personally, I think getting a good paint finish is much harder than welding, but i have done a lot more welding than spraying.
Oh, and if your paint is metallic, forget about DIY spraying till you are VERY good at it as metallic is a nightmare to spray well.

[Rumble]

if i were u i would be taking the feul tank off. Vapours can easily build up underneath the car,

A mate was welding on sills, stuck his head under the car to find a glow from vapours burning!! "AHH GET THE F**KIN EXTINGUISHER".
Hehe glad he found out the hard way, i would have just run a mile if that happened to me

hopefully the pic will give ye an idea my top tips would be,

as said before get a person who knows how to weld to weld it in place, he wont burn through the metal your trying to weld, after that just skimm the weld down as far as possible then prepare to do a lot of body filling and sanding, It takes ages to get a good smooth finish. take it bit at a time.
Wouldnt recomend trying to spray yourself if your a beginner, lots of things can go wrong. but if you feel confident go for it, mask up well and if it goes wrong try again will be better second time round.

good luck and be careful.

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